Back in late 2010 I attended a conference hosted by Urban Land Institute (ULI), where housing trends for the coming decade were presented, and the findings of which I have shared in previous columns. Three of these predictions have really begun to materialize in our own backyard. 1. Empty nesters (middle age parents whose kids are off on their own) selling expensive or larger homes in suburbs or cities with best schools and trading them for apartments closer to culture and public transportation. 2. Young families choosing to pay more and make do with less space in order to stay close to better career opportunities and social life, even with small children. 3. Affluent “suburbians” moving closer to big cities instead of Florida to be closer to their kids and grandchildren year round and/ or feel younger and enjoy fine dining and other benefits of city living. And so much so, that in a span of one week, the front page of The New York Times has featured western Queens and bordering north Brooklyn three times, all in a rather complimentary way related to real real estate WE ARE FRONT PAGE NEWS BY DAVID DYNAK estate and development. In “New York Boomers on Hipster Turf,” published on April 11, Long Island City was painted as the new destination for well-to-do boomers along with parts of hip Brooklyn. Yes, those sophisticated, well-traveled and very picky 55- plus execs, professors and retirees are now mixing with hipsters and loving it! On April 16, “Suburbs Try to Prevent an Exodus as Young Adults Move to Cities and Stay” spoke about a significant slowdown LIC Vet Center is a full service animal hospital with compassionate veterinarians, board certified specialists, and a caring staff providing the latest in cutting edge technology. We are proud to be part of Long Island City Community. • Complete Medical Exams • Wellness and Vaccination Programs • Ultrasonography • Nutritional Guidance • Cardiology 38 MAY 2014 I LIC COURIER I www.queenscourier.com in young families with small children moving back to their childhood towns on Long Island to raise their kids, as has been the trend for the past 50 years. It seems these people went to work in the city after college and decided to stay for the long haul, despite tougher school and housing situations. Then on April 18, in a column titled “The King Can No Longer Afford Queens” we learned that the rate of price appreciation and growth in Queens has exceeded that of Brooklyn and that an increasing number of buyers and renters started viewing LIC as more livable and desirable than even Williamsburg or Park Slope. Foreign buyers may favor accessibility to midtown and amazing Manhattan skyline views in the neighborhood compared briefly to Berlin. A friend of mine has recently moved out of prime Williamsburg to Ridgewood because he started to feel the neighborhood has become “unlivable,” with constant concerts, tourists, parties and crowding seven days a week. Others are moving north to Greenpoint because even Bushwick has become “too cool” for its own good. And I’ve ran into a few Polish folks recently at the Hunter’s Point South Park, who grew up in Greenpoint, whose parents left for the safe and spacious suburbs in the 70s, 80s or 90s, and who are now returning and settling with one or two small children in what they see as very livable, safe, convenient and still-familiar neighborhood close to their jobs in Manhattan. Perhaps the Pulaski Bridge and G train now connect two of the most “livable,” yet cool neighborhoods in all of New York City. Developers, the owners of a new beer aficionado store to open at 5-37 51 Avenue (their second and their family’s third venture in the neighborhood), and a famous chef negotiating on the space at 1 Vernon Jackson sure must agree. David Dynak is a real estate broker at First Pioneer Properties and an LIC resident. He’s lived in Western Queens since 1993. • Acupuncture • Digital Radiology (x-ray) • Medical Baths and Grooming • In-house laboratory • Surgeries and Orthopedics • Pain management and control • Dentistry and Digital Dental Radiology Dr. Keith Manning | Dr. Erin Kulick
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